Find out how popular the last name Taw is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Taw.

Taw, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Taw surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Taw in America

Taw is the 54637th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Taw surname appeared 377 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Taw.

We can also compare 2010 data for Taw to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Taw

The surname Taw is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "taw," which referred to a leather worker or tanner. This occupation was an important one in medieval times, as the process of tanning animal hides was necessary for the production of leather goods such as shoes, belts, and other everyday items.

The earliest known record of the surname Taw dates back to the 13th century in the county of Yorkshire, where a man named Willelmus le Tawyer was mentioned in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like survey conducted in 1273. This spelling variation, "le Tawyer," clearly indicates the connection to the occupation of a tanner.

In the 14th century, the surname Taw can be found in the Subsidy Rolls for the county of Sussex, where a John Taw is listed as a taxpayer in 1327. This record provides evidence of the surname's presence in multiple regions of England during the medieval period.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Taw was William Taw, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Launceston, Cornwall, in the late 15th century. Records show that he was involved in the tin mining industry and held several public offices in the town.

Another significant figure in the history of the Taw surname was Thomas Taw, a clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Essex from 1578 to 1591. He was born in the village of Debenham, Suffolk, around 1520 and played a prominent role in the English Reformation under Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the Taw surname can be found in various parish records and court documents across England. One such example is John Taw, a yeoman farmer from the village of Edgefield, Norfolk, who was born in 1632 and lived through the turbulent years of the English Civil War.

During the 18th century, the surname Taw spread beyond England, with some individuals bearing the name migrating to other parts of the British Isles and even to the American colonies. One notable figure from this period was Captain James Taw, a merchant sailor from Bristol, England, who was born in 1720 and made several voyages to the West Indies and North America.

The 19th century saw the Taw surname continue to be represented in various professions and walks of life. One notable individual was Sir John Taw, a successful businessman and philanthropist from London, who was born in 1819 and made significant contributions to various charitable organizations during his lifetime.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Taw

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Taw.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Taw was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Taw has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Taw was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Taw, please contact us.

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